Chapter Eleven #2
Flora raised her eyebrows. “Well, I have mint ice cream. How late you willing to stay up?”
“When’s your dad coming back?”
“He won’t be back until late. He went to a play in the city.”
Flora opened the door wider and nodded toward inside. With that, Finn entered, not knowing what brought him there in the first place, but just knowing that’s where he wanted to be. He ignored several texts from Holly to FaceTime her, work, and a dozen other things, but it made no difference.
Once again, he woke up on the floor in his clothes from the day before, Harry Potter running in the background, covered in pillows and blankets.
Flora was asleep up above him, arm hanging over the bed, clutching her stuffed sheep—Percy—in her hand somehow.
Percy stared back at him.
“It’s not what you think, Percy,” Finn whispered. “It’s… something else. It’s just friends… I do have to keep her away from my brother, but it’s not as if… don’t give me that look.”
Percy just hung there, frowning at him.
The clock read 6:45 a.m.
Finn sat up, grabbed his watch and shoes.
He got up quietly, trying not to wake her.
She was a heavy sleeper. Her tangled mess of hair was spread every which way, and she was twisted up in the sheets as if she’d been in a fight with them.
The window was open, and a breeze was blowing through sending light flickers dancing across the room.
He reached down, moved her hair out of her face, and then crept out of the room.
He was quiet as a mouse down the loft ladder, trying not to alert Fairchild that he was there.
He glanced around—coast was cle—
“Finley.”
Finn jumped so high he almost hit the roof.
Fairchild was sitting in the leather armchair, so still he looked like he was the armchair. He didn’t look surprised, just resigned and annoyed.
“Fairchild, sir,” Finn said, stiffening. First time he’d ever called Fairchild ‘sir’. “I—I didn’t see you there. I was just…”
“Just what?”
“I was—”
Finn wasn’t caught red-handed very often.
Fairchild looked expectantly at him. He’d never seen Finn Woodhouse so out of sorts and rattled in his life, and he’d been in the car when Finn was served with a megaton 400-million-dollar lawsuit. Finn hadn’t blinked then.
“Nothing happened!” Finn blurted now, closing one eye. “We’re just friends.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m afraid of,” Fairchild replied, folding his book in half. “If I may speak plainly, I trust my daughter, Finn. Her intentions, in everything she does, are pure. My worry are your intentions.”
Finn swallowed. “No malintent at all. Just friends. That’s… a great girl you got there.”
“Yes, yes…” he remarked and then looked as if he was thinking hard about what he would say next. “But she isn’t a company, Finn, an accessory to your ego, or someone you need to get out of the way. She’s a person. She has real feelings.”
“I know. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, sir.”
“Well, that remains to be seen.”
A moment passed.
“Class dismissed.”
Finn left, groaning and promising that last night was the last night of Flora…
But it wasn’t.
***
A week later, Allison was begging Flora to come with her on her first date with Jack to ease the tension.
“I don’t like first dates, Flora! I hate them! It’d be so much better if you came.”
“Allison!” Flora hissed. “It’s not a date if I’m there.”
“Bring Finn!”
“Finn?! No! No way! He’d never do something like that! He’d never agree to something so silly.”
“Ask him, please! A double date has so much less pressure.”
“Finn and I aren’t dating!”
“Ask him!”
Flora found herself outside Finn’s office, feeling more like the chauffeur’s daughter than ever before.
The large oak door loomed over her.
F. WOODHOUSE
She knocked twice and stepped back.
“Come in,” he called.
“It’s me.”
“Me who?”
“Me Flora.”
She heard him moving and the door opened moments later.
“Sorry!” she squeaked. “I don’t normally do this. I don’t want to bug you during work.”
“What is it? Are you alright?”
“Me? Oh, yes. I’m fine! Sorry. I’m fine. It’s a stupid, silly thing.”
Finn nodded her inside and shut the door. He sat on the edge of his desk, but Flora stood at a distance, worried that if she got any closer, she’d kiss him.
“You don’t have to say yes. In fact, I expect you not to. But Allison wants us to chaperone her date with Jack. I think it’s really dumb, and I want her to go alone, but I said I’d ask. You can—”
“I’ll go,” he shrugged. “Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You will be there?”
“Yes.”
“Am I picking you up?”
“No! We can meet there. No. I’m asking you for a favor. I’m not asking you haul me around.”
“I enjoy hauling you around.”
Flora paused. “Okay… well, I’ll be ready at five forty-five. You know where I live.”
Once Flora left, Finn texted Jack to ask what in the world was going on.
Jack was his old friend from Harvard—but hailing from England originally.
He visited every summer for a few weeks beginning religiously on July third so he could celebrate the Fourth.
Finn had few friends who he liked and even fewer whom he wanted to hang out with, Jack was one of them.
Jack replied that Allison said it was a double date.
Is that what you want? Finn replied.
It’d be nice to have you around. Bit nervous.
Finn had no idea how anyone could be nervous around Allison, who looked like Sesame Street made a house call.
Later that night, he parked his Roadster in front of the garage and honked twice. Flora was out seconds later. She was wearing a blue one-shoulder dress and heels.
She looked so—
Fairchild was eyeing him through the window by their kitchen. Unnerving to say the least.
Flora hopped inside. “My dad is not happy.”
“Really? Had no idea.”
“You brought out the Roadster for this!” she said, looking at the interior excitedly. “I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous.”
“You haven’t?”
Flora studied him for a moment, then sat back not saying a word.
They pulled up to the French place downtown, passing a girl who looked a lot like Flora and what appeared to be her kid brother as they went.
Flora did a double take.
“She looked like me. That was weird.”
“She did, but you’re still prettier.”
Flora turned, a little shocked, a little flattered. “Finn Woodhouse! I was wondering what you meant earlier!”
He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her in for a hug, and she laughed as they walked inside together.
Jack and Allison were inside already. It was a casual place for Mill Valley, which dealt more in restaurants of the Wine Mom variety. Flora slid in at the bar and waved off Allison and Jack, telling them to have their own fun. She whispered something to Allison, who eyed Finn and rolled her eyes.
Finn took that as his cue to sit with Flora.
“They seem to be alright,” Finn surmised.
“I think it’s just the comfort of knowing we’re here,” Flora shrugged. “I am starving though. Can we order?”
“Anything you want.”
“No, you aren’t paying. I forced you to come to this.”
“Flora, you’ve never forced me to do anything. I happen to like spending time with you, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“I can never tell with you.”
“Excuse me, miss. Can I buy you a drink?”
Finn looked at the man who had appeared next to Flora at the bar. He was huge… and Finn didn’t know enough Jiu-Jitsu to fight him off.
Flora glanced at Finn subtly. He saw her fiddling with something in her pocket and when her hand emerged, there was a gold band on her ring finger.
How—?
“Sorry,” she said, pointing to Finn. “Married.”
Finn placed his arm around her immediately. “October 13th. Three-year anniversary.”
“Aww,” Flora pretended, cupping his face in her hands, “can’t wait. We’re going to Cabo.”
“Cabo?” Finn whispered through gritted teeth. “Place is an awful wasteland. I much prefer Montenegro.”
“Everyone goes to Cabo, just pretend to be a peasant like me for two seconds.”
“Cabo, yes,” Finn said now. “Cabo.”
The man looked flustered that he’d missed the ring and then said, “Lucky guy. She’s a lovely lady.”
“I think so.”
Flora turned. “I knew my husband would help me.”
“Where did you get that ring?”
“I always carry it. Keeps some weirdos away.”
Finn shook his head. “You always impress me.”
“You impress me.”
“I’m going to impress you with how much food I order.”
Chaperoning became background noise as the night went on. Flora and Finn spent the entire time talking, trading shoulder bumps, glances, and quick hand squeezes under the bar. Forgetting Jack and Allison entirely now, they left and walked to the creek that ran through downtown Mill Valley.
As they stood there watching the creek rush by, Finn dug in his pocket and pulled something out.
“Is someone calling—”
She stopped short when she saw it wasn’t his phone.
It was a box.
She looked at him for a second, then back to the box, confused.
“I, uh,” Finn paused, clearing his throat, “I know this designer…”
Flora was quiet.
“She’s talented and getting big. We went to Harvard together. Business school. She started her own company right after.”
Flora eyed the box now, trying to make out the name printed on top. Finn moved his hand so she could see.
MADEBYINDIE
Flora’s brow furrowed, and her mouth parted just slightly. “MadebyIndie? You know Indie?” she asked, searching his face. “She’s—she’s amazing! She’s huge! Her rings and necklaces are nearly mythical.”
Finn felt his pulse in his head for some reason. “She is pretty good at what she does,” he agreed, laughing.
He handed her the box now.
Flora’s brow knitted further. “Finn, I—”
“Just open it.”
Flora looked conflicted, then slowly opened the dark blue velvet box. She gasped, her jaw dropping.
“Finn!” she said. “Finn, I can’t take these!”
“Well, they were made for you, specifically, so… you have to.”
Inside the box sat fat pink diamond earrings and a gold signet ring with a pink rose etched on the top and golden-yellow light sparkling from it. It looked like a painting from The Louvre.
“Flower healer,” Finn said quietly. “I told her that was your name. She came up with the rest.”
“Finn…” Flora whispered. “Finn… I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. I’ve never—”